Tuesday, October 30, 2012

I had an older friend who once told me that she and her husband had agreed to not have children if it wasn't possible for her to be a stay at home mom. They both came from large families so there were always plenty of nieces and nephews to love as their own. And this worked for them.

As for me, I don't think I could have made that decision. To chose between having or not having children based on who was caring for them during the day would have broken my heart. I would have loved it if I could stay home but I know Paul and I would be better able to provide for them if I went back to work. So Monday was my first day back.

Let's face it, even if you live on the bare necessities, it still costs a lot to keep food on the table and a roof over your head. Then toss in some children and it becomes a whole new ball game. Although daycare is't free, most families would agree that it still makes more financial sense for both parents to work.

Of course it's not all about money. There's the social aspect of it. Pauly loves playing with other kids and now has another little boy his own age to play with every day. Riley was a little more timid and very attached to me and has adapted surprisingly well over the last two weeks. She has definitely come out of her shell.

Then there's routine, which wasn't always the case while I was home. Snack time, lunch and naps were pretty much on schedule, but there were days where I had too much to catch up on so the outings and fun activities were almost non-existent. At daycare there's always a theme and corresponding activities, indoors and out.

So as the days go by I'm left reminiscing. No more afternoon naps (when I got a chance), no more lounging in PJ's on rainy days and no more walks in the park on sunny afternoons.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

I wanted my next post to be about Riley's 1st birthday but since I haven't gotten around to downloading pictures off my camera, I'm going to share some great news I got early last week. NO...I'm not pregnant.

I thought October 9th would be my first day back at work. I was mentally preparing for it but as it turns out, that day will come later rather than sooner. Yay! And you may be wondering how I managed more time off but it really wasn't me. Not entirely anyways. I knew I had 3 weeks of vacation left once I went back to work. I was planning on taking some of it during Christmas but I was told this wasn't going to happen as all the available spots had been taken. That left me with two options.
1. Keep my vacation for emergencies and take the payout if I didn't use it by the end of the year. Or,
2. Tack it onto the end of my maternity leave.

As I've said before, sometimes money isn't worth more than time. Luckily I now get to have my cake and eat it too. An extra 3 week at home with my babies, and a full paycheck.

So now my official first day of work will be October 29th. I can hope and pray there will be another excuse for me to stay home longer but, I won't be holding my breath.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

As Canadians, we are lucky to be able to spend the first year of our children's lives as a stay at home parent. Of course our unemployment benefits could always use some improvement but often, time is worth more than money. So as Riley's first birthday approaches, my time as a stay at home mom is coming to an end. And what a journey's it's been.

Over the last two years my life has changed so much. With two children you really learn to slow down and enjoy the moment. Even simple tasks like washing dishes may not get done all at once. With one child pulling at your legs and the other asking you to help build his train track, chores are no longer the priority. Somewhere along the road of life your focus shifts from doing things that make you happy to what "needs" to be done. Albeit not everything in life is miserable but when was the last time you pulled out a box of crayons and just scribbled? My kids love to get messy with crayons, paint, food and dirt and as long as they're safe doing it, why not?

So as my last few weeks of maternity leave are approaching, I'm sad to think that I won't be here for them all day, every day. I will have to take on the roll of a working mom like so many others have done. Daycare will be a new chapter for our family, and although I'm completely happy with the home daycare we chose, I have to admit that it makes me a little weepy. Mornings together will be short and the little time I have before putting my children to bed will be cherished. The days of working volentary overtime are over. No one can pay me enough to give that up.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

About 3 weeks after Pauly turned two I decided it was time for me to give potty training a try. I had read up on it a little and was quite confident that the little man was ready. I only had doubts about myself.

It would be a new experience for the both of us but I wanted to be sure I wouldn't set the little guy up for failure. I decided to ditch the pull ups (for now) and go straight for the briefs. So here's how it went:

DAY ONE - Put on his undies with an excited voice explaining he was a big boy now and we'd be ditching the diapers. I made sure to buy ones that had prints on them so he would want to wear them. Success! And he wore nothing else that day so he could actually see and feel what was going on. Then every 5-10 minutes I tried to convince him to sit on either the little potty, or on the big potty which had a child seat on it. He would happily come with me most of the time, and we did get a few "catches" but I spent the majority of the day cleaning up after him. Which was OK because I had placed towels over every rug in the house in anticipation. When it was nap time I wrestled with the idea of a diaper but decided against it. For me it was all or nothing. I just ended up placing a towel under him for easy clean up.

DAY TWO - Exactly like day one with a little tweak. I thought I'd add a treat every time Pauly got on the potty, in hopes that he'd start asking to go. So if we got to the potty without any hesitation, he got one Reese's Pieces for trying. If we got a pee in the potty, he got two Reese's Pieces. If we got a poo in the potty, he got three Reese's Pieces.

DAY THREE - Surprisingly there were only half as many accidents. I was still asking Pauly if he had to go every 20 minutes or so but it was sooooo much easier than the day before.

DAY FOUR - There was only 2 or 3 accidents this day. I really couldn't believe how well this was going. And now Pauly was asking to use the potty. It just seemed to good to be true.

DAY FIVE - I figured Pauly was now ready for pants. So he was fully dressed 5 days into his training. I had to work a little quicker to get him to the potty on time but there was no doubt he was getting the hang of things. I decided it was time to go for a ride. So I took a 30 minute car ride to my mom's, hoping he would arrive without incident. Success again!

DAY SIX - Fully dressed and making great progress, Pauly seemed to be having no problem with peeing in the potty. But we had hit a bump in the road. His only struggle was having a bowel movement. He would only have one every 2 or 3 days, which made things a little difficult when the time finally arrived. I knew I had to act quickly because the last thing I wanted for him was to be in pain when he pooped.

So a couple days later, after seeking some advice, I started giving Pauly a small amount of stool softener. It worked wonders. In the begining he was still only going every other day but it was no longer difficult. As time went by, he got more comfortable with pooping and stopped holding it in.

Now (2 months later), Pauly is officially day time potty trained. I no longer have to use a stool softener and he is asking to go #1 and #2. Nap time is always dry and there aren't any wet pants after a car ride. Next up - night time training.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Pregnancy is usually the time in your life where you look forward to seeing your belly get bigger. I can remember when I first found out I was pregnant with Pauly, the excitment and joy took over. And with that came the frequent checking to see if I was "showing" yet. As the weeks and months passed, my bump got bigger...and so did everything else.

Shopping for maternity clothes was fun. And as always, there were those few pieces that I loved wearing. Then at about 30 weeks things got a little complicated. My favourite pair of jeans started getting a little too snug around the hips and thighs. Shirts were now too short and I had to start buying bras in specialty shops. I really thought the clothes I bought at the beginning would get me through to the end. So, reluctantly I headed back out to buy enough clothes to last me 10 more weeks.

After Pauly was born I lost some weight. Then after about a month I gained some of it back. It was only a few pounds but of course I could only blame myself. I choose napping for an hour over preparing a meal. So I found myself eating caned and boxed food most of the time. Not to mention the shamefully frequent junk food binge. I think Pauly was about 4 months old when I decided I'd had enough. I slowly stared using the elliptical and started cutting out the junk food. It took a while before the first few pounds came off but I was headed in the right direction.

When Paul and I decided to have another baby, I kinda gave up on the elliptical. It all happened way sooner than we thought but before I knew it, my baby bump (and the weight) were back. I can proudly say that I didn't gain as much weight while pregnant with Riley. But since I had started out bigger, I was exactly where I'd left off when Riley was born.

There was a period of adjustment for me. Caring for two children was a lot different than just one. But after that, I was back into my old routine of quick fixes for food. As the new year came and went I tried to find ways to exercise but there was just no time or I was just too tired. It was a vicious circle; the extra weight was making me lazy but I had no energy to do anything about it.

Once the warm wether showed up I'd had enough (again!). Riley was finally sleeping through the night and I was feeling a little more like myself. I wanted out of this rut and had made up my mind to just get moving. The best time for me was after breakfast. The kids were happy and I had energy to waste. Instead of cleaning up the breakfast dishes and toys that had been tossed around the house that morning, I stuck the kids in the double stroller and started walking.

This wasn't an every day routine but I had to start somewhere. It felt good to get out but at the same time I knew it wasn't going to be enough. I found myself constantly thinking about my health, and life in general. It's not that I was unhappy, but I just wanted to get as much out of life that I could. This was when I adopted the Carpe Diem philosophy.

So I set some goals and reevaluated my eating and activity habits. I started looking for ways to cut fat and refined sugar from my diet. Then I came across an app that I can no longer live without. My Fitness Pal has really helped me make better food choices and keep my portion sizes in check. It took some getting used to and I still have a long way to go but, I think I'm doing well. I still indulge in the sweet and savory every now and again but not like I used to.

It's been 5 weeks using My Fitness Pal, and 2 months since I started my "lifestyle change" and you're probably wondering exactly how well I'm doing. I'm very happy to announce (insert drum roll here) I've lost 10 lbs. A small step but at least I'm getting there, slowly and steadily. My ultimate goal is to be back to my prepregnancy weight by next summer or sooner. And now that I've put it to (cyber) paper, I'll hopefully stick with it.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

This past month has really tested my newly adapted Carpe Diem philosophy. And in my opinion, I've kicked ass. There's always room for improvement but so far we've played in sandboxes, watched the train while enjoying watermelon (always an outside snack in my house!), traveled to Wasaga and Midland, gone fishing, swam in a pool and enjoyed the beach, and of course there's the classic play place, the park. What's next on the agenda? I'm thinking the Toronto zoo, the Streetcar Museum, and possibly Sandbanks Park.

So as the summer continues I'm sure our tans will get darker, which I guess is why they call it sunscreen, and not sunblock. But what's cuter than a 2 year old running naked through the house with a pale bum? Not much in my opinion.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Car seats are one of those baby items that you absolutely can not do without. And like every parent, I wanted to keep my little ones as safe as possible. I quickly became passionate about car seat safety while researching for a replacement for Pauly's infant carrier. At the time I knew nothing about convertible car seats which led me to countless hours of on-line learning. I can't remember exactly when I stumbled upon extended rear facing but, I do remember wondering why I'd never heard of it before. I had been certain that Pauly's first birthday would mark the milestone where he would ride facing forward but I quickly decided against it. Here's why:

Keeping children rear facing passed the recommended 20lbs. and one year of age keeps them five times safer then when they are forward facing. FIVE TIMES SAFER! I couldn't believe it at first. Then I went digging even further and found that the American Academy of Pediratics published a new policy in March of 2011 that recommends children be rear facing until the age of two or even longer, if they are still within the weight and height of the seat. I started wondering why it was only a recommendation and not part of the child seat laws. Then came the question of "what exactly are they testing for and how are they doing it?". I was a little surprised at what I found but you can read about Transport Canada's rear facing infant seat testing and research here.

Now, how exactly does a rear facing seat keep a child safer? Physics.
Newton's first law of motion states that "An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force". This external force is what causes the occupants to be thrown towards the front of the vehicle in a head-on collision.
When a child is rear facing, he will move towards the back of the seat and gently slide up. This keeps the child's head, neck and spine in a straight line and lets the chair absorb most of the force.
In a forward facing seat, the child (or adult) is held in place by the safety belt but the head whips forward until it touches the chin then back again. As an adult you can endure this whiplash motion because the weight of your head is only 6% of your body mass. A child's head is 25% of it's body mass which means it will pull away from the body with a force 4 times greater than that of an adults. Science has shown that even though a childs' spinal colum can stretch up to 2 inches, the spinal cord will only stretch a 1/4 of an inch, causing it to snap. This violent movement could internally decapitate a child leaving them paralyzed.
This video will help put things a little more into perspective.

If you'd still like to read more about car seat safety, here's a great article I found on parenting.com

So, armed with the above information, I set out to buy a car seat that would allow me to rear face as long as possible. My choice was a Britax.
Since the 1970's they have been recognized as the top selling car seat in Europe, England and Australlia. Now in the USA, Britax has been the top rated car seat for safety, durability and reliability. Enough said...but I still had to know more. So if you would also like to know about Britax's integrated steel bars, SafeCell Technology, Versa Tether or other features that make this seat an awesome choice, you can read about it here.

Riley is now 9 months old, but most importantly, she is reaching the 22 lbs. limit of her infant carrier. That means it's time for me to start putting some extra money aside so I can buy my absolute fave Britax seat. The only question is, do I buy it in pink?

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Life has been quite busy these last couple weeks. There have been a few noteworthy events and I've also been trying to catch up on a few loose ends.

As I've stated before, I tend to procrastinate. So it won't be a surprise when I tell you I spent an hour on the phone with three different customer service reps for three different reasons. I'll have to admit that two of the three calls went fairly well, but the third left me scratching my head.

The first call was to Phillips. We bought a Phillips Avent monitor when Pauly was born and I loved it but, after 9 or 10 months of use the rechargeable battery wouldn't keep a charge for more than 3 hours. The low battery beeping would wake me in the middle of the night so I stopped using it. I wanted to purchase a replacement but every store I went to didn't sell one. They all advised me to contact Phillips to get it. I had every intention of doing it but after a week this task was left on the back burner. Then Riley was born and when she started sleeping in her own crib it was just easier to borrow my sisters. Here's where things get frustrating. No matter where I plugged in her monitor, there was always static. Apparently she never had a problem with it so I took it as a sign to get off my ass and get mine fixed. Competing with static when your trying to sleep or watch TV is nerve wracking. So I finally called Phillips and told them what I needed. They didn't have any batteries in stock but my monitor was still under warranty so they went and shipped me a whole new monitor! It's just as good as the last and now I can watch Grey's Anatomy without background noise :)

The second call was made to Bell. It was an easy fix to my bill but one that shouldn't have happened. We'll see how things go next month.

The third was a call to Apple. I've only had my phone for 2 months but for some reason my USB cable stopped working. They were going to replace it at no cost but it took them three attempts to get it right. The first part was the wall adapter that the cable plugs into. The second was a USB video cable. Then finally after a third phone call I got the regular USB. Now I don't have to share one cable between my iPhone and iPad.

When I was about 8 months pregnant with Riley I was having my usual dental check up. My Hygenist noticed something peculiar and asked me to come back ASAP after the baby was born so she could take some x-rays. I did and the culpurate was two impacted wisdom teeth (I only had two btw). Since I wasn't in any discomfort and there were no cavities, we both agreed to wait a while before proceeding. So about a month ago I had my consult and two weeks after that I went in for the surgery. I was a little nervous since I'd never been under general anesthesia but it went surprisingly well. I think the worst part of it was getting the IV. When I woke up I wasn't in any pain. I wasn't groggy, sleepy or quezzy in any way. I was sent home with antibiotics and Tylenol #3. I took the Tylenol for the rest of that day since I wasn't able to nurse for 8 hours following. The next day my face was swollen but the pain was minimal. I resorted to ibuprofen twice a day for two days then didn't need anything after that. As of now my jaw is a little tender but I'm able to eat and drink normally without pain.

The second event that deserves recognition is the fact that Riley has started crawling. She was exactly 9 months old when it happened. Unlike her brother, she started on her hands and knees but you can tell she just wants to get up and walk. In the last five days she's learned to move around on her hands and feet which is amusing to watch.

And finally...Pauly turned 2! On his actual birthday we took him to Chuck e Cheese but this past weekend we celebrated with family and friends and it was a blast. We started off at the splash pad and then made our way back home for lunch, presents and cake. There wasn't a rain cloud in the sky and it wasn't too hot. Just perfect.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

For the last two weeks I've been wanting to blog but, I've got nothing. Don't get me wrong, I'm very busy with the usual day to day chores. It's everything else that's non-existent. Or almost non-existent.

Now that the summer weather has appeared I feel like I should be doing more. Specifically, outdoor stuff. What kind of "stuff" is where I'm stuck. Sure the daily walks, trips to the park and such things are wonderful but I'm craving more. Every so often an event comes along (the opening of the splah pad for instance) and my excitement perks up, I get there, have a great time, the kids have a blast and it's over. Then I'm left with that hole to fill.

Cabin fever? Boredom? Whatever it is I think the solution is Carpe Diem, which is easier said than done. Epically when you've got a boy who's almost 2 and an 8 month old who is trying so hard to be mobile.

Then there's the infinite to do list. And it's conjoined twin, procrastination. Instead of inventing smart phones (don't get me wrong I love my iPhone), why can't someone invent smart laundry rooms. Ones where all you need to do is toss your dirty laundry in them and that's it. The sorting, loading and folding will all be done for you? Or how about a lawn and garden that chews up weeds the second they begin to germinate? And I could really use a Rosie around the house. Or at the very least...an iRobot. But I really can't see myself paying $200+ for that fancy thing.

So onwards and upwards. Carpe Diem. Seize every oppertunity that you can. Leave the housework and daily chores for rainy days. And if you happen to stop by my place this summer, forgive me for the dust, dirty dishes, and weeds growing around every corner. It's because I've chosen to enjoy the finer things in life.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

It's been about a month since starting Riley on baby led weaning and I've concluded that it's not for us. Or mainly it's not for her. Mostly the decision was based on the fact that she just wasn't interested in feeding herself 100% of the time. Example; she loves bananas but she will only devour them from a spoon. Give her a chunk of it and she will squish it and throw it away. Example #2; sweet potatoes. She'll eat a few pieces on her own but 2 or 3oz. in puréed form. This list could go on and on. But on the flip side, she does like chewing her food too. She loves bread, chicken noodle soup, pasta and Cheerios. Since she likes the best of both I've decided to compromise. So as of now, Riley is eating large fruit and veggies in puréed form and small fruits and veggies in whole form. I let her feed herself if she seems interested but so far her interest is short lived.

All in all, Riley is doing fairly well with this whole solid food thing. There are days where she doesn't want much more than milk but, I think that has more to do with teething than anything else. Overall I'm happy that she has a pallet for a variety of foods. What I've found is that she really loves eating mixed meals. Blueberries go down OK but they're a lot better mixed with apples and pears. So for now, the journey continues and hopefully the results keep getting better.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

When Riley was born, she latched right away and was breast fed without incident until just before she was 2 months old. At this time she started getting fussy at the breast, latching poorly which led to painful nipples and within a couple of days I developed cracks. I had tried everything I knew to do and decided that if I wanted to continue breastfeeding I was going to need some help. So I made an appointment to see Jill, the lactation consultant at Milton District Hospital. She told me Riley and I likely had thrush and would need to be treated with Nystatin drops and Dr. Jack Newman's APNO.

Now if you've never had to deal with thrush, you might think of it as an infection. Just take your meds and the problem goes away in 7 to 10 days. Not so. The problem is, yeast can easily reoccur and can get out of hand quite quickly if you're not careful. You need to keep things sterile, cool and dry. Here's what I had to do:
1) Pump milk to relieve engorgement and bottle feed Riley. Those first couple of days were really painful and I had to forgo breastfeeding in order for my nipples to heal enough so they wouldn't crack when Riley latched on.
2) Every time Riley had a bottle, it had to be sterilized before she used it again. Along with the bottles, the breast pump, soothers and any toys she happened to put in her mouth had to be kept sterile on a daily basis.
3) If my breast pads got wet, I had to change them ASAP. Keeping things dry is key to keeping the yeast in check. I also had to be careful with bibs and clothing. If it was drooled on, it had to be changed.
So after 4 weeks of this I was so happy to have a baby who was latching properly and gaining enough weight. There were times when I wanted to give up but my weekly appointments with Jill gave me the encouragement and strength to keep going. I can happily say Riley was exclusivly breastfed for six months and we both enjoyed it. I was lucky that my bout with thrush was a mild one and I sympathize with mothers who have to deal with recurring symptoms.

Now at six months old Riley has started eating solid foods. It was a milestone I had been anticipating because, while I was pregnant with her I discovered Baby Led Weaning. This is introducing foods in pieces big enough for her to grab and eat herself. It is advised that babies be at least 6 months of age and have lost the tongue thrust reflex. To test this reflex, Riley's first solid food was puréed sweet potato. She didn't do too well which completely burst my bubble. It took her just over a week to master swallowing puréed food. A few days after that I reinflated my bubble and jumped into baby led weaning.

I cut butternut squash into fries and steamed them. It started off well but after a few pieces, Riley didn't seem interested. I wondered if it was the squash she disliked or the fact that she had to feed herself. So I went into the fridge and cut up some pear. She did a little better and ate about four pieces. Since then she's had peas, actual fries, Cheerios and carrots. I'm still not sure if she's digging this baby led weaning thing. I went back to puréeing some food and it's hit or miss so I've decided on no more mush. It may be the fact that she doesn't want to be on a feeding schedule. I did breast feed on demand so maybe she'll eat solids when she wants and not necessarily at specific mealtimes. Although the theory behind baby led weaning is that baby will eat when she's hungry and until she's full, I'm really going to have to pay attention to her hunger cues and keep a variety of foods available to her. My next attempt will be rutabaga...keep your fingers crossed.

As promised, here's a couple pics of Riley's first tooth. And I must add that as of today, she has cut her second tooth!

Monday, April 2, 2012

As a new mom, you're always anticipating and noting those milestones in your baby's development. The first smile, the first time they roll over, the first time you get a full nights sleep (if ever).

Once baby #2 comes along (or 3 or 4 or 5), those milestones seem to creep up too quickly. As an infant, Pauly was never the sort to put things in his mouth but he drooled all the time. People were always telling me "he must be teething". So I anticipated a tooth sooner rather than later but 5 months came and went. Then month 6, 7 & 8. I know it's "normal" for a baby to be toothless on their first birthday but as a first time mom, the information passed down to you from moms who have been there and done that is always lingering. So when everyone's telling you "he'll have a tooth any day now", you start to prepare for it. And in my case, I became a little disappointed with every month that passed by. Pauly was almost 11 months when that first bottom tooth popped up. Better late than never I suppose.

Then comes baby #2. Even when I was pregnant, things were so different. My morning sickness was worse and lasted longer. I didn't gain as much weight and once active labour started, the home water birth I planned was only a mere 4 hours long. Could this have meant Riley was going to be the complete polar opposite of her brother? I'm sure if I had consulted the Magic 8 Ball the answer would have been "all signs point to yes". Riley is now 6 months old and I have to agree with the signs...she is almost nothing like her brother.

Riley is not too clingy. She's never made strange with people she doesn't see on a regular basis. She loves her baths and tummy time. Sometimes she cries because she doesn't want to be held and at exactly 6 months, one week and a day... she cut her first tooth! Ta Da!! It's still too small for a picture (I've tried on various occasions) but when I can get a good shot of it, you'll be able to see it here.

Now I can only wonder what her next milestone will be but I'm sure it'll happen too quickly.

A couple of weeks ago we went on vacation. It was nowhere exotic, and we didn't board a plane or train to get there. Although my kids aren't old enough to experience an official March Break, Paul and I took this time to get away from the daily routine and spend some quality time together as a family. The kids had such a good time and I loved every moment of it.

our home for the week

We rented a cottage in Kettle Point First Nations, off the southeast shore of lake Huron. It took us about 3 hours to get there and the kids did really well with the drive. I expected Pauly to wake up and freak out that he had to sit in his car seat for the rest of the way. Happily it didn't happen. When he did wake up for a while, he was happy to be riding in "daddy's truck". As for Riley, I was almost certain she would sleep the whole time but there was the uncertainty that hunger would get the best of her. It didn't. And so our ride was uneventful and we were there before we knew it.

within the first hour of arriving - making himself at home

As we started to unpack, Pauly got right into his toys. We didn't bring many but we knew Thomas and his friends couldn't be left at home. The cottage was cozy and clean, set on a mature big lot. The beach was nearby and there was swings in the back. And the best part was the weather. I had fully expected a freak snowstorm but we were surprised by warm temperatures and only one thunder storm.

visiting the town of Petrolia

We traveled to nearby towns, enjoying the scenery along the way. We took a walk to the beach and Pauly loved splashing in the water. He loved running in the yard, picking up sticks and chasing after Chloe. And Riley was smiling and laughing all week long (except for a couple sleepless nights). It was exactly what everyone needed.

lunch in Petrolia

watching Thomas and Friends in jammies

walking to the beach

enjoying the ride to the beach

soooo many rocks

having fun in the water - it was warm out but we couldn't get him to take off his hat

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About Me

I'm a working mom of two imaginative, affectionate, talkative, absolutely wonderful kids who always seem to amaze me.
There's a constant balancing act between work and home that I'm sure I will never master but...I try to live in the moment and remember that life is what you make of it.